German giants Bayern Munich have finally got their man, with Swiss international Sommer joining for a reported £8.3 million.
It's taken 19 days, but the biggest goalkeeper move of this year's January transfer window has finally been completed.
Yann Sommer, 34, joins Bundesliga powerhouse Bayern Munich in a deal that reportedly runs until 2025, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano. He leaves Borussia Monchengladbach with 272 appearances under his belt since joining the club in 2014 from FC Basel.
Romano's famous ‘here we go’ tweet came at 2:30PM on the 18th January in Sommer's case, although the move wasn't officially announced for 24 hours after he broke the news.
Sommer's transfer comes after a cat-and-mouse chase that has seen Bayern reportedly pursue the Swiss goalkeeper for some time. He was heavily linked with Manchester United for a period, but a long term injury to veteran number one Manuel Neuer forced Bayern into action. With Sommer's contract at Monchengladbach expiring in the summer, the Bavarian club got their man at a very reasonable price.
His 80 international caps for the Swiss national team since 2012 have also played a part in marking his status as one of Europe's best goalkeepers. Sommer will take the number 27 shirt at Bayern Munich, having already trained with his new teammates earlier today.
In August 2022, Sommer made history by recording a Bundesliga record 19 saves in one game against Bayern Munich in a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena.
“Yann is definitely one of the most professional and detail-oriented players I have been fortunate to work with", said Borussia Monchengladbach's goalkeeper coach, Fabian Otte, speaking exclusively to Goalkeeper.com following Sommer's move.
"On and off the pitch, he always tries to take care of the smallest details like focusing on each training repetition, nutrition, sleep, gym work, prevention exercises, or recovery. But he’s not only a top professional, he’s also a great person.
"He's very positive, humble, down-to-earth, and open minded - always willing to learn and improve. Interestingly, this must be a trait of top goalkeepers in general, as my experiences with goalkeepers like Nick Pope, Joe Hart, Oliver Baumann and others were very similar!
Reflecting on the goalkeeper coach-goalkeeper bond Sommer and Otte shared, the German coach explained that “overall, I’d say that our collaboration went way beyond usual goalkeeper and goalkeeper coach dynamic and we developed a close relationship of trust”.
“Yann leaving the club is obviously a big miss, as he’s one of the top goalkeepers in the world at the moment and was incredibly important for our goalkeeper group", Otte continued.
"Bayern are very lucky to have him on board! His abilities when defending the goal and supporting in-possession play are second to none, and his game understanding exceptional.
“However, for the club now, it's about starting a new chapter and it will be great to see the other goalkeepers in our department grow and develop in their own unique ways. My task now will be to manage the new group dynamics and support each goalkeeper to maximize their potential, while immediately performing in important games when needed”, he concluded.
On the move, Sommer commented that he was 'very excited about the new challenge', adding 'we have some big challenges ahead of us. I'm hugely looking forward to starting here with my new team-mates and to everything that is to come'.
Borussia Monchengladbach have signed fellow Swiss goalkeeper Jonas Omlin, 29, from Montpellier, supposedly to replace Sommer.
